Waiting on ED, How long ?

Can someone tell me the "norm" as to ED, I am 10 weeks out of surgery, and theres nothing happening!  I am taking 5ml cialis daily, and every 2-3 weeks I try a 20ml cialis to test for reaction.  Do I just keep at it, or should I begin something else, ie vac pump or similar.  Must admit dont really fancy injections.  Perhaps I am being impatient, help please !

 

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Age 51yrs

DX 11/11/08

6 out of 8 cores positive 3 X 60% / 3 X 10%

PSA 4

Gleason 3+4=7

Stage T1c

Robitic Surgery 24/12/08

Upgrade Gleason 4+3=7

Margins Neg

Nodes Neg

Dry less than 1 week

ED- taking Meds/ No result yet

PSA 28/1/09 0.03

PSA 24/2/09 0.03

I think all guys should be told that this is a 12 to 18 month time frame. At one year, I noticed a strong improvement - i can now get an erection sometimes with no chemical help. Drugs make it better though - faster, less work, less worry. Most of the guys in my PCa support group agree that improvements are most noticeable after a year. One guy said that his ED went away after two years.

We all have our own timetable. Hearing stories of guys with virtually no ED is really misleading. Pump, JO, drugs, injections all help. Keep working at it. enjoy sex regularly - even with no intercourse - and things usually improve with time.

you should have check ups every three months for the first year. Be sure to talk to your doctor frankly about this. Some docs need to be pressed if you are not happy with progress.

paul

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46 at Diagnosis.
Father died of Pca 4/07 at 86.
1/06 PSA 3.15
1/07 PSA 4.6 (Biopsy 3/07 just suspicious)
10/07 PSA 5.06 (Biopsy 11/07 1 of 12 with 8% involvment) (1mm)
Da Vinci surgery Jan 5, '08 at Mt. Sinai Hosp. NYC www.roboticoncology.com
Saved both nerve bundles.
Path Report: Stage T2cNxMx
-Gleason (3+3)6
-totally contained to prostate,
-10% involvement in L & R Mid lobes
PSA 0 at nine months.
Pad free on March 14 - (10 weeks.) Never a problem since.
ED - Took 100mg viagra every night. for several months
Totally usable erections at 10 weeks, which disappeared over the course of a month or two.
ED bounce is what they call it. Now, at one year, ED is fine with viagra.
One year PSA - undectable!

Hey Rookey, like the other guys have told you, just be patient. I'm about 6 months out of surgery and I'm about 90% with cialis or viagra. I also just began to have numerous night time erections. There was slow and gradual improvement for the first 5 months then things started happening down there. I pop a cialis about twice a week to keep the blood flowing and I encourage the wife to help a couple of times a week and that's it for me. There is hope my friend.

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Age now 44 (43 when dx)

Pre-op PSA:  0.9

Biopsy: 3/12 cores pos  20% 30% 50%

Gleason 3+3=6

Robotic RP:   Aug 08 1 day hospital stay, cath out on 8th day.

Post Surgery Pathology Report: Gleason 6, pT2c, tumor 10% contained in prostate gland, all margins negative. Negative lymph nodes

Post Op PSA: Dec 08 <0.1

Almost 8 weeks out now Rookey and I do injections of trimix 3 times a week and pump every day that I am not injecting. My next injection date is Sunday and from my loving wife's passing comments, it may be my lucky day but I know it will be artificial in a sense. My surgeon was pleased when he heard I had a pump and was ready to begin with his OK. Perhaps one could benefit you. The Resource Center at the top of this forum is a world of information.

Have patience my friend and good things will come to you.

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Age at DX 57

5-18-07 PSA 7.7

5-06-08 PSA 4.6  8% free psa, but stable

10-23-08 PSA 5.65 4% free psa

11-04-08 biopsy

11-11-08 2 of 12 cores positive

Gleason 3+3  6  stage t1c / post-op 3+4  7  stage t2c

CT and Bone scan negative

Da Vinci RRP 01-09-09

Catheter removed 1-15-09

Pathology Report says it's gone!

First Post-op PSA 2-17-09   0.00

Patience is the key word here! It took me the better part of 2 years to return to near normal (without meds). 8 - 12 month with the help of 50mg Sildenafil.
Some men are a little quicker, but I consider myself lucky.

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Born Sept 1936
PSA 7.9
-ve DRE
Gleason's Score 3+4=7, 2 of 8 positive
open RP 28 Nov 06, Post op staging T3a
Gleasons still 3+4=7
Seminal vesicles and lymph nodes clear
Catheter out 15 Dec 06, Dry since 11 Feb 07
All PSA tests in 2007 (4) <.04
PSA tests in 2008: Mar.=.04; Jun.=.05; Sept.=.08; 3 days before Rad Start=0.1
Salvage RT completed (33 sessions - 66 Grays) on the 19th Dec., 08.
PSA on the 26 Jan., 09, =0.05. PSA tests now every 6 month

Yes, it takes longer than they lead you to believe on recovering from this surgery. The doctors make it sound like it is routine no big deal surgery like having your tonsils out. Well maybe for the skilled surgeon it is just that simple. THIS IS A MAJOR SURGERY! It used to be one of the bloodiest. I also didn't want to do the shot and I didn't, I used the vacurect pump as therapy excercise. It took 10 months before a "natural without a pump or drugs" erection that would work for intercourse for me and then it didn't work for a few months. Now after two and half years things are working pretty normal once a week or so. I think for this 60 year old guy that is just fine. Remember you are not 25 years old anymore. Try to just chill out keep using the pump as therapy to increase the blood flow. If you are feeling some of the old throb even if it is faint it will improve. It is just going to take some time. Hang in there and the thang will start look up.

Post Edited (56pontiac) : 3/7/2009 2:26:23 PM (GMT-7)

Hi Rookey,

I had robotic on November3,2008 and I still suffer from ED. I am using meds daily, the pump 3 times a week  and injections for intercourse. I didn't think I would be able to do the injections but eventually the need took over and I did.  I just talked to my doctors nurse a few days ago, because I was beginning to wonder when I would see some results of the meds and she reminded me that it can take the full 2 years to have natual erections again. I needed some reassurance that I was on the right track. The point she made was that I need to continue the meds & pump or I may never have natural erections again. It seems to be very different for each of us, but we need to stick to the routine and wait it out. I have lowered my expectations a littlet to fit the 2 year time frame, but like most of us it is our mission in life to gain our natural erections back,and I'm sure we will all keep working at it. Do yourself a favor though, take the time to grieve a little for something you have lost, that ability to get it up whenever you  wanted to, it is tough and my wife keeps reminding me, it is difficlut to lose something that has been such an important part of my life. We've been married for 34 years and she has always been the patient one.

Sam Benton

As others have said patience is a virtue. 

I'm just shy of the 18 month mark, and am only now starting to see some life in the little (an I stress little now) bugger.  I waking up at 2am from a strange sensation... a little wood .

Maybe in another 3 to 4 months i will be usable and controllable .

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Age: 43 (2008)

DRE Small Ridge on prostate, PSA 1.5

07/2007: Diagnosed cancer, T2c, Gleason 3+4=7

09/2007: Laparoscopic prostectomy @ Hamilton General, 4 hrs.

01/2008: Still working on ED.